Nathan ParrottEngineer & Technology specialist.

Mechatronics- The fusion of mechanics, electronics & software to make awesome stuff happen.

PROJECTS

Zero-G

Assisted Saber Astronautics flight test the "DragEN"
tether deployment mechansim with NASA's flight opportunities program.
DragEN is designed to address the growing threat of space junk by
un-rolling a conductive tether which uses the magnetic field of the Earth
to gently drag a dead satellite back into the atmosphere allowing it to
burn up safely at the end of its life. The experiements were conducted on
a modified boeing 727 out of Ellington Field Houston Tx, with each flight
comprising 40 parabolas of approximately 20-30s of zero gravity each.

Automation

In order to showcase the work of Doctors at the Harry Perkins Medical Research Institute.
A dual screen interactive exhibit was designed to demonstrate research being undertaken at various
regions of the human body. Each screen contained a PID controlled 24VDC motor with optical encoder feedback.
Dual light curtains and over current shutoff in the event that an obstical was encountered.

Animatronics

Machinability produce high quality engineering and prototype products.
Barley Max is a musuem exhibit created with Machinability for the CSIRO.
Children select different food options for Max to eat and Max shows his appreciation or dissatisfaction based
on the choices they make. Max's movement is controlled using an arduino micro controller, Saberototh motor
driver and two linear actuators.

Research equipment

The Macquarie University 'Griggs Press' is designed to emulate the temperature and pressure experienced
by rocks hundreds of kilometers below the earths surface. A control system was designed using National Instruments hardware and
LabView software to provide accurate measurement and control of

The hydraulic and electric rams to displace rocks at pressure exceeding 100MPa

Electronics

BT Imaging designs and builds manufacturing tools used by the manufacturers of photovoltaic bricks, wafers and cells.
In 2008 I helped to design and build the LIS-R1 solar wafer inspection platform using laser luminescence.
This project included:

Factory Automation

Using a combination of industrial PLC controllers and pneumatic actuators
and valves to automate the packaging of paper hand towels for an Australian manufacturer.
Our solution reduced labour requirements by 66% whilst increasing production yields by 50%.

Small Area Sensor Networks

Designed to track human movements within a building and generate
real time alerts via SMS and email when an elderly person falls.

Hydraulics

A car crash simulator was designed for the NRMA car crash showroom.
The simulator combined hydrualic actuation of the suspension of a car while the user was
seated inside wearing an Oculus Rift headset. The experience combined tactile motion of the
vehicle with visual and audio feedback being provided by the Oculus Rift. This exhibit won
"Best in show" at the 2014 Sydney Royal Easter show where it was also showcased.

Electronic Control Systems

The Ivy nightclub in Sydney wanted a unique exhibit for their Saturday night Pascha event.
We designed and implemented the electronics and control system for the "Pascha Ball" which comprised
five linear actuated petals, smoke machine with strobe and LED strip lighting.
The entire ball was remote controlled and timed to the Pascha event.

Satellite ground station

Assisted Saber Astronautics & The University of Sydney to bring their satellite
communications ground station online. This ground station will be used to provide satellite telemetry
(receive and transmit) capabilities to Saber Astronautic's customers.

School Management Software

The Actors Pulse Sydney is an acting school specialising in Meisner Technique.
We built an entire school management system that allows teachers to mark classes and the roll from a tablet in class.
Student enrolments can be taken online and are automatically invoiced, The schools entire billing system is managed
and Studio bookings can be taken online. Inbound sales enquiries are tracked and and logged from point of reception
through to conversion to paying students. Students marks & details are stored, and a fully featured reporting
engine was developed. The system automated many of the schools processes from emails through to taking enrolments.